Gracie
by TheMuffinChild
Summary: Johnny has always been shy when talking to strangers - especially girls. But then he meets Gracie, a girl who's been through almost as much as he has. Their connection is evident... Read to find out how Gracie will change his life forever. Told from two POV's. Rated T for mild-ish language, violence, and maybe some other stuff that I haven't written in yet. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! My name is TheMuffinChild, and this is my first published story on this site! I'll admit to you guys right now, I'm writing this because I TOTALLY HAVE A CRUSH ON JOHNNY. So I guess you can say that Gracie is kinda based off of me. I'm trying to develop her as a "better" version of myself (looks like me, but prettier; acts like me, but braver, etc.). This story probably won't be *that* long, but I don't really know, cuz I only have a loose understanding of what I plan to do with the rest of the plot. But we'll see.**

**Also, I know this type of story ("main character falls in love with my own character") is kind of cliché. But to be honest with you guys, I HATE cliché. I LOATHE IT! So that will be just about the only standard love-story thing you see from me. Expect plot twists. Lots of them. **

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy! Please favorite and review if you are inclined to do so! And please be nice, it's my first time! :)**

~Gracie~

"Hey! Greaser girl!"

Ugh. Stupid Socs. They were obviously drunk, lookin' for a broad, any broad. Didn't care even if it was a greaser like me. I would normally be trash to them.

I ignored them and continued walking. I was pretty sure they'd realize exactly who they were tryin' to get a date with if I paid them no attention.

"Come on, broad. Come hang with us!" A different Soc slurred. Yep, I thought. Definitely drunk. I started to walk a little faster.

"It ain't very nice to ignore us like that, greaser girl. Show some respect!"

They were mad now. My heart started beating just a bit faster. Who knew what a bunch of drunk Socs could do to me if I wasn't careful?

"Hey, broad! Don't be such a bitch and come with us!" My hands began to shake. The Soc who had just spoken turned to his gang. "Hey, guys, don't you think she's a right little bitch?"

The rest of the Socs laughed.

"Come with us, slut, and nobody gets hurt!"

I started to back away, but soon reached the end of the lot, and accidentally backed up into an adjacent alley. The Socs quickly advanced. I was trapped now.

"Hey, bitch, that ain't no good way to be treatin' us fine, respectable gentlemen!" The Socs laughed. I said nothing. I was too scared to speak.

"Yeah, let's see if anyone ever finds you here, half-dead or worse, lyin' here in this alley!" Another one hissed. The Soc who had first yelled at me to go with them violently pushed me down onto the hard ground. Then he pulled out his switchblade. I involuntarily whimpered in fear. Would they kill me? Could they?

He made a long gash from the back of my ear to the bottom of my chin. "Wouldn't wanna cut your pretty face," he snickered. Then the Soc threw a few punches at my head.

"Bastard." I whispered raspily between blows.

"Shut up, bitch!"

I suddenly felt a sharp pain and a warm wetness on the side of my neck. I gasped in pain as my vision started to turn fuzzy. "Help!" I yelled weakly. "Someone, anyone…" It was no use. The world faded to black as I fell into unconsciousness.

**Oh, the drama! Sorry this chapter was so short, I didn't have much time to write, and wanted to at least publish something! The next chapter will be soon, I promise. **

**XOXO,**

**TheMuffinChild**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! I'm back! :D I'm kinda posting a lot cuz it's a weekend and I have time (yayyy!). So before I start this next chapter, I wanted to mention something. I named this story "Gracie" because I couldn't really think of a better title. If any of you have a better idea, please leave it as a review!**

**OH YEAH! I forgot! Disclaimers! Wow, I'm such a noob! I don't own the Outsiders!**

**Thanks so much for your support, and please follow, favorite, and review if you are inclined to do so!**

~Johnny~

It was a cloudy, cool day on the East Side of town. I was walking along the border of the vacant lot with Pony, Soda, and Two-Bit. We were coming back from the movie theater. Pony had asked us to go with him, which made pretty good sense if he wanted to avoid getting jumped by the Socs. I didn't mind, anyways. I wasn't too into books and movies and stuff like that, not like Pony was or anything. But I liked them just fine.

Everything seemed normal at first. Two-Bit was cracking jokes as usual, and Soda was laughing with him. Pony and I didn't say much, but that was expected of us. We were, after all, the youngest and least talkative members of the gang.

Suddenly, we heard a loud shout from the other side of the lot. "Hey! Greaser girl!"

Two-Bit and Soda stopped laughing. I looked over to where the sound was coming from. It was obvious they weren't talking to us, but my heart started racing anyway. There were five of them. Five big, strong Socs like the ones who had gotten to me…

I felt the blood draining from my face. I wanted to get out of there, now. I had to. I had to. I had -

My thoughts were interrupted by another shout. "Come with us, slut, and nobody gets hurt!"

It was then I saw the faint outline of a girl backing into an alleyway. One of the Socs pushed her to the floor.

Then I heard the distinctive sound of a switchblade popping out of its hilt.

_They wouldn't hurt her, would they?_ I thought to myself. _They wouldn't hurt a girl. No -_

"Yeah, let's see if anyone ever finds you here, half-dead or worse…" Another Soc growled at the mystery girl in the alley. I heard a faint whimper…

They were gonna hurt her. They were gonna hurt her the way they hurt me. And I wasn't gonna let that happen.

"Guys." I heard myself saying in a quivering voice. Was I really doing this? Was I, quiet, shy little Johnny, going to try and save this random girl in an alley? "Guys, we have to help that girl."

My friends looked at me strangely. They were clearly as surprised at me as I was at myself. "Why'd ya wanna go about doin' that, Johnny? There are five of those Socs!" Soda asked incredulously. I could understand that. We didn't even know this girl, anyways. But we had to do this. We had to.

"They're gonna hurt her…" I whispered. Realization began to show on their faces. Finally, they seemed to understand. "You know Socs like to outnumber people. With four of us, they'll get scared off easy enough."

"Alright, Johnny..." Though my friends agreed reluctantly, I could tell they were uneasy about the whole thing. But there were advantages to being the gang's pet.

"Hey!" Two-Bit was the first of us to shout. "Hey, you filthy-rich Soc trash! You leave that girl alone!"

All five Socs simultaneously turned around. I saw fear registering on their faces as they realized there were four of us. _Cowards_. They slowly stood up and started to walk away. "We'll be back for you, greasers!" Then the Soc let out a string of cuss words I wouldn't want to repeat here or anywhere. But I ignored him. I had to see if this girl was alright.

I ran to the back of the alley to where she lay unconscious. Blood ran down the side of her neck and stained her shirt. With shaking hands, I picked up her head to look at her face.

She was beautiful. I really couldn't help but stare. Her long, brown hair fell in feathery, wavy layers and stopped just above her waist. She had a round, kind-looking face, which somehow still looked peaceful even with blood streaming down her smooth skin.

Then I realized that the gang was looking at me strangely. Two-Bit was smirking slightly. "Pretty girl, you think, Johnny?"

I felt my ears burn red. He had apparently noticed that I was staring. "She's bleeding." I said, pretending to ignore Two-Bit. "We should take her back with us."

"Alrighty, Johnnycake. Whatever you say."

**Thanks for reading, guys! I hoped you liked Johnny's take on things for this chapter. GAWD, I wanna go out with him! Too bad he doesn't exist!**

**Btw, again, a pretty short chapter. Tomorrow, I'm completely free all day, so I'll probably write a longer one with multiple POV's in it.**

**Anyways, thanks to anyone who read my first chapter, and definitely super-special thanks to BeanieBaby96, my very first follower and favoriter (is "favoriter" a word?)! Thanks so much for the support!**

**XOXO,**

**TheMuffinChild**


	3. Chapter 3

**'Sup, guys! Sorry I didn't update Sunday, I turned out to be busy that day. Anyways, I don't have much to say here. So yeah... **

**Please follow/favorite/review if you are inclined to do so! Especially reviews would be great. I would love to have some feedback! Anything is welcome on reviews - except please no pointless swearing at me for being a terrible person and blowing up buildings and murdering puppies and stuff. That helps, like, literally nobody. Enjoy this next chapter, guys! :)**

~Gracie~

I woke up in a place I didn't recognize. All I really knew was that my neck hurt. Bad. I reached up to touch it, and few flakes of dried blood came off. I was confused at first. Then memory came rushing over me like a wave.

I remembered myself lying there helplessly in that alley, a gang of angry Socs hell-bent on cutting me up. I had yelled for help; for anyone to come and help me. But no one came, or so I thought. Where was I, anyway? Was I dead?

Drowsily, I tried to sit up, wondering how long I had been asleep for. But as soon as I lifted my head from the pillow it was resting on, I realized sitting up might not be such a good idea. My neck ached and I still felt a little dizzy from loss of blood.

"Is she awake?" I heard an unfamiliar voice from across the room.

"What? Where am I?" Now I was confused. For the first time, I took in my surroundings. I appeared to be on a couch with a soft blanket covering my body. I noticed a black-haired, young-looking boy asleep on an armchair beside me. Who is that? Is this his house? Did he bring me here?

The boy who had originally spoken to me crossed the room. He had long, reddish-brown hair and greyish-green eyes. "Oh. So you are awake!"

"Who are you? And where am I?" I repeated my previous question.

"I'm Ponyboy, and you're at my house, of course. You took a pretty bad beating from those Socs - it's pretty lucky we found you. Or more like Johnny did." Ponyboy motioned to the sleeping boy on the chair. "He's been waiting there all night for you to start comin' around. Hey, what's your name?"

"Uh, it's Gracie." I stammered out quickly. Why did that boy - Johnny - bother to save me from those Socs? He sure didn't look like to type to take five Socs on his own. Or to scare them away at all, for that matter. He was slight in build, and looked to be only about fourteen. Not that I was much older than that. I was fifteen.

"Hey, Johnny!" I was jolted out of my thoughts by Ponyboy's sudden voice. "The girl's awake! Says her name's Gracie or something!" The black-haired boy woke with a start. His black eyes were huge, and he was pale as a ghost. His breath came is short, erratic gasps. I wondered why he looked so scared.

"Gee, I'm sorry Johnny." Ponyboy said quietly. "I didn't mean to scare you like that."

"It's okay, Pony." Johnny replied. But his voice was shaky and his breath was still uneven. Boy, was he spooked easily.

Then he turned to me. "Gracie? Is that your name?"

"Yeah... Why am I here again?"

"Well, you were hurt. Your neck was bleedin' pretty bad..." He spoke quietly, as if he didn't want to get to the point of what I was really asking him. Or maybe that was just how he normally acted.

"No, I mean, why did you bother to take me out of that alley? Me, a random girl from the streets?" I stared up at him intently.

Johnny looked surprised, almost embarrassed. "I just didn't want them to hurt you… a girl… like… like…" He stopped himself mid-sentence. Whatever he was going to say, he clearly didn't want to talk about it. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to steady the speed of his heartbeat.

I was confused, but I caught his drift and let the subject drop. "So, Johnny, tell me about yourself." I figured that if I was gonna be stuck here with an aching neck and a fuzzy mind, I may as well make some conversation. But Johnny looked stunned, as if no one had ever asked him that question before. For all I knew, maybe no one had.

He just sat there looking like he really didn't want to answer my question for a while. But whether he did or not, I will never find out, for Ponyboy came to fetch him in due time, saying that him and "the gang" (who were these people?) were going out to play football, and that Johnny should come. "You should probably get some more rest," he said to me. "You've only been asleep for a couple of hours, and you'll need all the energy you can get to make up for that blood loss." Then he and Johnny left the room.

I was curious about this boy. He was clearly scarred in some way that I may never find out. But I wanted to know. I wanted to know the person behind those big, black puppy-dog eyes. I thought about it all the way down to the depths of unconsciousness.

**Thanks so much for reading, guys! Again, please follow/favorite/review if you want to! Speaking of which, thanks so much to PinkAmy, my first reviewer! Also, loads of thanks to those who followed/favorited this story! Your support is always appreciated. :) Bye guys! Love you all!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! I'm back! I just wanted to let everyone know that updates should be coming about once a week (usually on weekends) to this story now that I'm less of a noob with this site. If I don't update one weekend, it will probably come a couple days later in the week. So stay tuned! (OMG that was so cliché. I'm sorry!) **

**Please follow/favorite/review if you are inclined to do so! Especially reviews help me out A LOT! Enjoy the chapter! **

~Johnny~

The last thing I remembered about the night before was the look on that girl's face while she lay there on Ponyboy's couch, sleeping peacefully. I had sat there on that armchair next to her, and fallen asleep, I guess. But I had wanted to make sure she was safe.

My own sleep was suddenly interrupted by a loud voice, calling, "Hey, Johnny! The girl's awake! Says her name's Gracie or something!" I awoke with a start. I felt my face drain of all color, and I noticed that my hands were shaking. I quickly tried to steady them, but I must've looked pretty scared, because Pony immediately apologized for startling me.

"Gracie? Is that your name?" I asked the girl, and she nodded.

"Yeah… Why am I here again?" I told her about how she was hurt pretty bad by those Socs, but I knew what she really wanted to know.

"No, I mean, why did you bother to take me out of that alley? Me, a random girl from the streets?"

"I just, uh, didn't want them to hurt you…a girl... like.. like…" I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. This was a memory I didn't want to relive. _Don't think. Don't remember. Don't think about the rings on the Soc's fingers, don't remember how they were hurting you for fun..._

I must have been silent for a while, because Gracie seemed to realize that I didn't want to answer and quickly changed the subject.

"So, Johnny," she asked. "Tell me about yourself."

This girl was _really_ good at asking unanswerable questions. What was I going to say, that my parents hate me and the Socs beat me up? Then she would ask me more questions… make me relive more of the suffering I've experienced…

"Hey, Johnny! The gang and I are gonna go play some football! You comin'?" Ponyboy's voice sudden voice interrupted my thoughts. I looked up at him gratefully. "You should probably get some more rest," he said, turning to Gracie_. I've been saved_, I thought, but as I followed him out of the room, I noticed a look on the girl's face. It was a look of curiosity and fascination, one that wanted to know more. A look that showed she cared.

I'd never seen a girl with that look on her face.

~Gracie~

I slept for what felt like days on Ponyboy's couch, drifting in and out of consciousness. A few times, I lay there half-asleep and listened to a few words I heard from the outside world. I was able to pick out Ponyboy's voice, and sometimes Johnny's, though not as often. There were a lot voices I didn't recognize, too, though. Once I heard a loud, tough-sounding one with a New York accent yelling, "What were you doing out there, Johnny? You could have gotten hurt, you could have gotten killed… Just for this stupid girl!"

I fell back asleep before I could hear Johnny's response.

I had dreams, too. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. I dreamt about my parents before they became selfish, alcoholic slobs who expected my other relatives to support them and their addiction. I dreamt about everyday things, like going to the drive-in with my girlfriends, or picking out what to wear for someone's party. But I had nightmares, too.

I remembered the Soc's voice. "Come with us, slut, and nobody gets hurt!" Then he had flicked out his switchblade…

I woke up screaming in cold sweat.

Unfamiliar faces rushed into my line of sight. I saw Ponyboy and Johnny, but who were the rest of these people? I was bewildered…and scared…I didn't know what to do. Most of the people gradually filtered from the room. My breathing calmed slightly. But I still didn't know what was going on. Then everyone and everything vanished, and I only saw Johnny.

"You alright, Gracie?" His quiet voice was somehow soothing, but I still couldn't help bawling like a baby.

"It was the Socs again… They were going to hurt me…" My words came out choppy and uneven, the phrases divided by my heaving sobs.

"It's okay now. They're gone. They ain't gonna hurt you no more." He took my hand to comfort me, and the tears gradually stopped streaming from my golden-brown eyes.

**Thanks so much for reading, guys! I wanted to know, by the way, if you like how I give each character's side of a situation in separate chapters, or if you think it's repetitive. If you could tell me in a PM or review so I could improve the quality of my writing, I would love you forever! So please do so! :) **

**Also, thanks so much to those of you who reviewed! You are my favorite people right now, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate your support! **

**Again, please follow/favorite/review if you are inclined to do so! 3 you all! **

**XOXO, **

**TheMuffinChild**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! I have returned! So I realized that I've forgotten to disclaimer-ify some chapters. And I don't really want to go back and take the time to change them. So let's just set this down right now: I don't own The Outsiders! I totally wish I did though! Then certain people wouldn't die! *Coughs conspicuously***

**Please excuse the possible terrible-ness of this chapter. I have a fever and am feeling kinda out of it. :/**

**Haha, anyways, please follow/favorite/review if you are inclined to do so! Enjoy this next chapter! :)**

~Gracie~

It took about four days for me to recover. Much of it was spent sleeping and drifting in and out of consciousness. I heard strange sounds and unfamiliar whispers during my every waking hour. But slowly, surely, I regained my strength, and by the third day I was healthy enough to stay conscious - most of the time.

I noticed that Johnny was usually there with me. Sometimes he was asleep, but usually he was barely awake. I think he had stayed up all night for the past four days to make sure I was alright.

Sometimes, when we were both feeling more awake than usual, we would talk to each other. It did take awhile for me to get him to be less shy around me, but eventually he let his guard down. We started off just talking about simple things, like school and stuff like that. I learned that he didn't like his school, because the teachers never gave him any time to process what they were trying to shove at him, and I told him that I did okay at school, but I thought it was awfully boring and quite pointless. After all, when would we ever have to analyze theme statements when we went out in the real world to make a living?

I guess it was a while before I started getting to know the _real_ Johnny. But I eventually did. I could tell when that perpetually nervous, suspicious look finally left his eyes. He was starting to feel more and more comfortable around me, and we slowly graduated from talking about frivolous things.

"...but my parents don't really care if I'm stupid in school or not, anyways. They don't really care about me at all." Johnny had been saying. Damn it. That look was back in his eyes again.

I looked up at him curiously. My eyes asked him to elaborate.

"My mother is barely ever home, and my father -" He paused. I could see that painful memories were resurfacing in his mind. "- he drinks a lot. Too much, really. He, uh, hits me sometimes."

My eyes were wide with sorrow and surprise. My parents don't really give a hang about me, either, but they'd never hit me. Never…

"Johnny, I'm so sorry…" I couldn't even imagine how it must have felt to know your parents hated you.

"Aw, it's fine, Gracie. At least when he's hittin' me, he knows I'm there," he replied quietly.

It wasn't fine. It wasn't fine when your parents didn't care about you. It was even less fine when they hit you -

"That's not what's usually botherin' me anyways," Johnny finished. I wanted to ask him what he meant, but he turned his face away before he stopped speaking. He clearly didn't want to talk about it. Then, for the first time, I took real notice of the scar on his cheek.

Suddenly, I realized it. He had been hurt, too. Not just by his father, but by the Socs. That was why he took me out from that alley. That was why he cared so much about whether or not I ended up alright. _"I just didn't want them to hurt you… a girl… like… like…"_ That was what he had said. I could finish that sentence in my head now: _"...like they hurt me."_

I had learned a lot about him on that day. We had spoken like old friends, and he had told me things that I was sure he had only told a select few people in his short, sixteen-year life. But I knew that all good things must come to an end.

On the fourth day, it was clear that I had fully recovered. The bleeding in my neck had stopped a while ago, and all that was left was a long, red scar. My mind felt clear for the first time since the Socs jumped me.

"Johnny." I said, and he started. He had been absent-mindedly staring off into the distance until then. "I should leave. Now."

"But why?" He asked. His huge, black eyes were wide.

"Well, I feel better now. I don't want to overstay my welcome."

He seemed to understand, but looked disappointed. "Gracie…"

"Yeah?"

"I just… I mean, I… Well, thanks for talkin' to me all of the past couple days." He reached up to push his long hair out of his face. "You're a real nice girl."

I smiled at him. "Thanks, Johnny." Then I slowly stood up to leave. Honestly, it was kind of difficult, and I stumbled around a bit before regaining my balance. After all, I hadn't been on my feet for days.

As I turned to walk out the door, I looked back at Johnny. "I guess this is goodbye."

He stood there uncomfortably. "Guess so." He put his hands in his jeans pockets. "Hey, uh, Gracie?"

I stopped in my tracks and looked at him. "Yeah?"

"Do you wanna maybe hang out sometime? Like, at the drive-in or somethin'?"

I smiled. "Definitely." Then I turned to walk out the door.

**Well! That's it for today, guys! Again, sorry about any weird phrasing or other errors in this chapter: I am sick, after all. :(**

**Thanks for reading, and please follow/favorite/review if you are inclined to do so!**

**XOXO,**

**TheMuffinChild**


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